Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, Ralph Northam, is now the Democratic nominee in the race for governor. Working to rally support in a once-red state that is now quite purple, Northam has been reaching out to many different constituencies—including Virginia’s growing Muslim community. Shortly before winning his primary in June, Northam spoke at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center (ADAMS), emphasizing his opposition to President Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban” and his commitment to an “inclusive” Virginia.

Lt. Governor Northam has been to ADAMS before, notably in February in the immediate aftermath of Trump’s travel ban. He was part of a group of politicians including Virginia’s governor, Terry McAuliffe, who were eager to show their opposition to Trump and their support for the Muslim community.

While such tolerant sentiments are laudable, the choice of venue was striking—and worrisome. The ADAMS Center is tightly connected to the so-called SAAR Network, an organization of Islamist terror financiers that has inexplicably escaped punishment. Though Federal agents uncovered staggering amounts of evidence against members of the SAAR Network, political interference led to the case being dropped. As a consequence, entities within the SAAR Network are free to curry favor with politicians like Northam. Not coincidentally, Northam has received donations from at least two companies, Mar-Jac Investments ($3,000) and Reston Investments ($3,250), that are actually part of the SAAR Network. For Northam to hold high-profile events at ADAMS gives unwarranted credibility to extremists, to the detriment of the mainstream Muslim community.